Books

I've had the opportunity to do a good amount of reading this summer. In June, swollen feet meant I had a good excuse to sit in bed with my feet up. And, with a kindle I borrowed from my mom, I've started reading while feeding Julie. I must say, I have always resisted e-readers, but the kindle is significantly easier to handle than a traditional book while breast feeding.

Right before Julie's birth, I finally started The Hunger Games. I devoured the books and was quite close to finishing the trilogy as I went into labor. Of course, it took me several days to finish the last hundred pages. While it won't win any literary excellence prizes anytime soon, I still enjoyed the books. The story was captivating and felt fresh. I had studiously avoided anything related to The Hunger Games before I started reading (mostly out of disdain), so I was happily spoiler-free. In the end, I was quite satisfied.

Since the birth, I've read 2.5 books. Both of my completed books should have come with trigger warnings; they both involve adoption and losing children. I read the first book when Julie was just weeks old, and I sobbed through an entire chapter. The first completed book is Moloka'i, by Alan Brennert. This book starts in the late 1800's and follows the path of a young Hawaiian girl named Rachel. At the age of 7, Rachel was diagnosed with leprosy and exiled to the colony on Moloka'i. The story follows her long and eventful life and intertwines with the history of Hawai'i. I love Hawai'i, so this book was a really fun read. Rachel originally lived on Oahu, and I've been many of the places mentioned. My favorite part was coming to understand more about leprosy/Hansen's disease. I knew there were leper colonies but knew little about them prior to reading the novel. I'd say this one is a must-read.

The second book I finished was Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline. This one is a dual story where we read about a contemporary young woman in foster care while also hearing the first-person narrative of an old woman who was shipped west on an orphan train during her youth. I read many orphan train novels during middle school, so I suppose I have some background here. Even though I knew about orphan trains, I still found the story compelling. Both women struggle with rejection, poor family fits, and not truly knowing who they are. They find each other due to court-ordered community service for the young woman. I did enjoy the novel, but I would mark this one an "if interested" rather than a must read. If you like historical fiction, it's worth a look. The writing is simple, but that does help the reading go quickly.

Finally, I have started The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. As a biology teacher, I should have read this ages ago. This book is why my mom loaned me her kindle. I'm approximately 30% done (I love the progress bar on the kindle!) and definitely into the story. I'm not sure what I expected, but the narrative wasn't it. Still, I am enjoying learning the backstory of Henrietta's family, her ancestry, and the prevailing conditions from the time in which she lived. I'm outraged about the lack of informed consent for medical procedures, and I'm glad cases such as hers paved the way for patient consent laws. I'll try and report more when I've finished the book.

School starts soon, and I'm sure I'll have less time for reading. Still, I love this time of nursing, snuggling, and getting in some quality books. Happy reading!

"Later, when Celia Davenham reflected upon her day, she was surprised. For though she still felt sadness, the memory she reflected upon most was that of huge bolts of fabric being moved around at her behest by willing assistants who could sense in her the interest that led to a purchase. With an enthusiastic flourish, yards of vibrant purples, yellows, pinks, and reds of Indian silk were pulled out, to be rubbed between finger and thumb, and held against her face in front of the mirror. And she thought of the person she knew as Maisie Blanche, who suddenly but quietly had to take her leave, allowing her to indulge her love of texture and color for far longer than she had intended. Thus, a day that had seen so many tears ended in the midst of a rainbow.'

I'm mailing off this book to a friend. Before I do, I want to share a quote on change. In the book, the protagonist has just been sent to work for a family because her family has fallen on hardship, and this is a great shift from all she had previously encountered.

From Girl with a Pearl Earring:

It was strange to meet so many new people and see so many new things in one morning, and to do so apart from all the familiar things that made up my life. Before, if I met someone new I was always surrounded by family and neighbors. If I went to a new place I was with Francis or my mother or father and felt no threat. The new was woven in the the old, like the darning in a sock.

Stealing an idea from the excellent Nicole & Maggie, I am going to write about 10 books by which ye shall know me. These are my go-to reads for various moods and times. I was going to say that these books have earned a permanent spot on my shelves, except I don't own several. I have often gone by the "can I get it easily in a library?" test, and some of my favorites are common books.

1. My Antonia: easily my favorite book, I always get swept away by the descriptions of the prairie as ocean. The different story threads carry the characters through their lives. As a young girl, I was enchanted with pioneers and the frontier life, and Willa Cather has captured it so well. This is a book I don't own, but I do have it on my phone in ebook format thanks to Project Gutenberg.

2. Ender's Game: Orson Scott Card's deplorable politics aside*, this book is amazing. Get it from a library. The story of young Ender Wiggin, a six-year old taken to train for battle in space, is fascinating. Card spins complex characters, moral & ethical dilemmas, and a challenging coming-of-age. I love this book and most of the follow-ups, with Speaker for the Dead being my second favorite. Just wish the author could leave other people's lives alone.

* card-carrying homophobe, which is okay, who works heavily at the national level to discriminate against LGBTQ, which is not okay

3. The Moon by Night: this is one of two novels that dovetail nicely, and the next one is #4. These books by Madeleine L'Engle are my favorite coming-of-age guides. They taught me to be thoughtful, intelligent, and open to the world. While I do love A Wrinkle in Time, these two are my favorite of L'Engle's works.

4. A Ring of Endless Light In this one, L'Engle's main character, Vicky Austin, deals with death. The book contains my favorite line ever about prayer:

I also love the continual reminder from mother that "comparisons are odious, says John Donne."

5. The Outsiders: When I was a kid, my brothers and I didn't always get along. Big shocker, I'm sure. They teased a lot, and I wasn't a fan. When I was 11, we went to have one last dinner with friends before we moved from Nebraska. The wife was an old minister who knew my dad, and we'd spent a lot of time with her and her husband over the years. My brothers got to teasing me during dinner, and I ran out to hide in the back of the station wagon. The husband, a former teacher, came out with a book in his hands to talk to me. This is the book he gave me. I might have been a bit young, but I really loved the book. Sodapop, Ponyboy, and all the rest resonated with me. This is a book I can read in one sitting, but only if I have a box of kleenex nearby.
6. Calvin and Hobbes: I own the complete collection, and it is one of my favorite books. Something about imagination, poetry, shenanigans, and the drawings really pulls me in. I'm always shocked when I meet students that haven't heard of C&H.

7. Harry Potter: oh, how did I leave this for so far down the list? Oh, well. This is a more recent influence on my life. I imagine everyone knows the story, so I'll just say that I love the story, the friendships, and the imagination here too. I'm giving this to my nephew for his birthday. And I won't cheap out and list that for all the rest of my books.

8. Sharing Nature with Children: this is a handbook by Joseph Cornell. My dad gave it to me sometime while I was in college, and I've read through it many times. It's full of games, activities, and interesting ways to interact with nature. I made good use of this during my short-lived time as a naturalist. While I'd like to think I decided independently to become a naturalist, I am pretty sure this book had a big influence. I still try to incorporate some of the games and activities, when possible, in my classroom. It's a wonderful, short, interesting little handbook for those who want to get kids outside.

9. The Stranger: I love children's books, and Chris Van Allsburg is one of my favorite authors. He did such classics as Jumanji and Polar Express. This one is my favorite of his. He illustrates gorgeous fall colors on a farm in New England. Captivating and delightful.

10. The autobiographies of Helen Forrester: while this is technically 4 books and not one, you need to read them in sequence. I love historical fiction, and this is particularly gripping and thoughtful. This is the tale of Helen's family (more-or-less; she uses a pseudonym and changes a few details) through England's Great Depression and World War II in Liverpool. Her family started out upper-middle class, which Helen is old enough to remember, and falls precipitously. Helen lives through the challenges of poverty, war-time deprivation, and even the death of more than once fiance in the war.

Her books are hard to find in the US, but it is possible. I first fell in love with her during a visit to England and slowly collected the books over repeat trips there and up to Canada.

Thanks to those of you who made it through. This is not an exhaustive list of all my favorites, but these are the books I return to time and time again. May you have so many written friends in your life as well.

Even thought the end of my school year was insanely busy, I had a little time for some reading. I wanted to share three great books I have read recently.

Love in the Driest Season is the most recent one I read. Written by Neely Tucker, a journalist, the book chronicles his time in Zimbabwe and the difficulty he and his wife experienced in adopting a young girl. Zimbabwe has been torn apart by the AIDs epidemic, but there were still many hurdles to adoption. I enjoyed the book primarily because Neely discussed the hardships candidly but also covered his life as a journalist. While I am not a traveling writer, I have always thought that sounded like an intriguing career. I love reading memoirs that cover life paths I was unable to take. This one is great for a little summer reading. Be advised that there are some sad spots, but overall the tone is fairly upbeat.

In the youth reading category is When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. A Newberry Award winner, this book is inspired by the writings of Madeline L'Engle (one of my favorite authors). This is a simple enough read for an adult, and the story is captivating. Miranda, the protagonist, struggles with losing a friendship and growing older while also unraveling the mystery of who is leaving strange notes in her apartment.

My absolute favorite of my most recent reading is Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. This is a fictional account of a female spy during World War II. She doesn't start out a spy, but she works her way up to the job. The book is a journal she wrote while being captured in France by the Nazis. The journal itself is interesting enough, but the second half of the book is where it gets good. I found myself flipping back to details in the journal as we hear the other side of the story from another character's perspective. While not my favorite book of all time, this is good enough that I'm tempted to buy a copy and keep it on my shelf (high praise for a fiction book). If you only read one of the three on this list, this is the one I'd pick.

I have more books on the docket. I'm currently reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay and enjoying another World War II story; this one is about the roundup of Jewish citizens in France. I discovered a used book store in the town to our north, so I'll definitely be picking up some more books there. I went in to buy a few for our 6 year old nephew; hopefully, I will help cultivate a love of reading in him too.

I hope summer is finding everyone happy and enjoying good weather. Any one else reading anything good? Let me know if you have ideas!

Fair disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The Age of Desire from Penguin in exchange for my review. All opinions below are completely my own. Spoiler alert: I loved the book!

My most recent summer read has been The Age of Desire, by Jennie Fields. The book is a fictional account of Edith Wharton's years right after the turn of the century, and the book follows both Edith's close friendship and her affair. It also tracks Edith's life between Paris and New England and the geographical tension place can bring. And, let me tell you, it is steamier and more fascinating than I expected. And, best of all, it is a historical fiction account of real events, which always makes the book seem more tangible.

I am fairly sure The Age of Desire is supposed to be written in Wharton's style, but I'm not sure, as I have only read Ethan Frome. I was drawn to this novel because I enjoyed Ethan Frome in high school, and I have always meant to read more works by Wharton. Perhaps this is the nudge I need to hit the library and enjoy another novel or two before jumping into the new school year.

Like many books I read, I was less interested in the romance part. Far more fascinating was the waxing and waning of Edith's friendship with Anna, her governess and then secretary and life-long companion. The relationship is complicated yet also enduring despite many hardships. According to the author, this was actually a secondary part added to the book to deepen the story. I am so glad she added this part, as the friendship of Anna and Edith made the book rich. Better still is that this relationship is fairly historically accurate. While the exact events may never be known, there are actual letters from Edith to Anna (and to others where Edith mentions Anna) that allude to or parallel the novel.

About that romance part, Wharton had an affair with a journalist named Morton Fullerton. After a marriage sans physical affection, Edith feels that she comes alive in the presence of Fullerton. Theirs starts as a friendship and percolates throughout the novel. In fact, percolating is exactly the word to explain how this romance occurs. I'll leave it to you to find out how. The novel covers this affair in whole, including authentic letters the two exchanged. Despite Wharton's request, Fullerton did not destroy her letters, so they are a published book. In fact, most of the letters in the book are authentic, as Edith's letters to Anna have also been published.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I just finished it today, mostly because I have been savoring the read and just dipping in a little each day. The book accompanied me to the lake cabin and on camping trips, and it was a welcome diversion without being too bookish. If you're a Wharton fan, you should definitely check out the book. Heck, even if you've never read much or any Wharton, it is worth reading for the intriguing twists and turns Edith's relationships take as the book progresses.

Now, for the best part! I do have one copy of the book to give away. To enter, leave a comment below. I will make my husband randomly pick a comment to receive this book. My apologies, but your address must be a street address in the USA. Comments must be made by August 8th, 2012.

Also, several other ladies gave this book a read. It is impossible for me to cover everything, so check out their reviews to see what they mentioned (like the interesting historical look at mental illness -- also a part of the novel!). Check out their posts for a different angle and another chance to win the novel. Happy reading!

Fair disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The Orphanmaster from Penguin in exchange for my review. All opinions below are completely my own.

I finished this book en route to Hawaii, and I can wholeheartedly endorse the book as a gripping plane read. Upon boarding in Minnesota, I had over 200 pages left. I finished the book before we landed in Portland. Truth be told, I kind of wish I had it here, as The Orphanmaster would be a good beach read despite mostly taking place in winter. The end was a total page-turner (see pic, which my husband snapped at a tense point in the plot).

Two pieces of advice for reading this book: don't read the dust jacket description, and don't give up if you find the first 150 pages a little too much backstory. When I was first asked to read The Orphanmaster, I thought the book description was beyond hokey. I won't even mention it here. Just know that this is essentially a mystery novel set in 1600s New York, when the town was small, Dutch, and still called Niewe Amsterdam. And it does take a bit of reading to get the hang of all the various threads of the plot. It is all worth it.

I studied abroad in the Netherlands, so I have a love of all things Dutch. This book definitely came through on that front, with mentions of the groot kamer (great room) and some yummy Dutch treats. The novel was also nicely grounded in history; the author even references her sources at the end of the story.

If you enjoy historical fiction, mysteries, or love stories, you will find this a satisfying book. Wait, I didn't mention the love story in my review? That was a tertiary part of the plot for me (I found the historical details more intriguing), but love is definitely afoot in The Orphanmaster.

I even loaned the book to my mom to read. This can be considered a hearty endorsement of an enjoyable read.

Now, for the most exciting part. Penguin has gifted me a second copy to give away! To enter, leave a comment below suggesting a summer read you love (or, alternately, sharing your love of Dutch culture). I will make my husband randomly pick a comment to receive this book. Comments must be made by June 26th, 2012, and you must leave an email address where I can reach you (the email can just go in the email line below - just make sure it is good for contacting you).

Also reviewing today are three blog friends. Go check out their reviews, and enter on their blogs for another chance to win a copy of The Orphanmaster. I really recommend reading their posts, as they touched on other sides of the story that I didn't get around to mentioning.

I love reading art history things, especially if they involve the Netherlands. I am still nostalgic for my study abroad trip (winter/spring 2004 if anyone wants to see in the archives). I recently finished The Girl with the Pearl Earring, which is a fictional novel about Vermeer and his paintings. I would highly recommend the book to anyone interested in art history who doesn't mind a little suspension of disbelief.

Speaking of, I am currently reading an interesting novel that ties into Dutch history in a historical fiction sort of way. That's all I will say for now, but rest assured that I will have a full review soon.

One of the saddest things about teaching is telling my students to put their book away. I'll be in the middle of giving directions for lab or correcting yesterday's homework. I look up and realize that at least one student is diligently reading The Hunger Games, a graphic novel, Harry Potter, or some other book.

My response? "Student, I LOVE reading too. But now is not the time, so please put your book away."

I do this on a daily basis in several hours, and it is a chronic problem with a few students in particular. Our middle school does an amazing job of getting students interested in reading. All students have a book every day for independent reading, and the librarians take time to find an interesting book for the kids when they are done with their current read.

full disclosure: I did win a copy of this book from Penguin books. And, boy, am I glad.

I just finished The Last Letter from your Lover, by Jojo Moyes. All week, I have been picking away at this book bit by bit. Now that I've hit the weekend, I literally devoured the last third of the book.

This novel is set in the 1960s, and the premise is that a woman, Jennifer, wakes up from a bad car accident with little memory and significant discomfort in her life. Nothing seems to fit correctly, and everyone around her seems a little strange. In short order, both the reader and Jennifer realize that life feels strange because Jennifer got in the car accident while leaving her husband to go to her lover for good. Post-accident, she has been returned to the life she was desperately trying to leave.

For the first two thirds of the book, Jennifer is untangling threads of an unremembered affair through hidden letters. In the last third, we move to the present day as a journalist also tries to untangle the threads of letters she has found in the archives of the newspaper where she works.

To truly do the book justice, I feel I would have to reveal too much of the plot. But it is really an enjoyable book, and it moved along just fast enough to always leave me wanting more when I put it down each night. In my mind, that's a successful read.